UP: Solidarity Sing Along. The state's Fourth District Court of Appeals rules that people who were charged for singing in the Capitol Rotunda during the noontime protests are allowed to use discovery in their defense, which means they can call witnesses and seek evidence the state has against them. The decision means that defendants' lawyers can scrutinize police actions and look at whether some protesters were specifically targeted. Some surmise the ruling might prompt the state to drop all cases, but the Department of Justice has not indicated anything to that effect.
DOWN: The YMCA of Dane County. Carrie Wall, chief executive officer of the Dane County Y, announces that the organization is facing a $500,000 budget shortfall and must make "painful decisions." In November, it laid off 13 administrative and director positions and made changes to its swimming programs. Wall tells the Wisconsin State Journal: "We're a business -- a nonprofit business -- but still a business."
